Suffolk Industrial Recovery Corp is a recognized leader in the scrap recycling industry, working to protect and preserve our environment for over 30 years. We work closely with our customers to provide Long Island and the greater New York area with safe, reliable and competitive scrap recycling and debris removal.
Recycling allows us to save natural resources, use less energy, reduce greenhouse gasses, and protect our environment. Here at PK Metals, our mission is to help our customers go green. We do this by turning the tens of millions of pounds of scrap metal, paper, cardboard, plastics and electronics they bring us into useful commodities.
By recycling the past we are ensuring a better life for our children tomorrow.
pkmetals.com

Recycling E-Waste: How One Company Gets It Right

Back in July, we spoke with Sprint about its commitment to sustainability and its groundbreaking Buyback program – the first wireless take-back program of its kind and still recognized as the best. In honor of America Recycles Day on November 15, we turn our attention back to Sprint – for a look at how the carrier is addressing e-waste in a way that increases customer satisfaction and differentiates the company from its competitors.

First, the problem: According to the EPA, e-waste is the fastest growing waste stream in the country, with more than 2.5 million tons produced each year. Sprint’s product development chief, Fared Adib, knows a thing or two about e-waste. In fact, you could say he and his colleagues are a bit obsessed with it. “Tackling the issue of what to do with old electronics is a huge deal and something we address every day. For us, recycling isn’t just about responsible disposal. Our main focus is on finding a useful and profitable ‘second life’ for the phones we collect.”

Fared Adib

Through the Sprint Buyback program, Sprint accepts any mobile device regardless of carrier or condition and offers customers a financial incentive of up to $300 per eligible device. Sprint then tests and sorts them. Most of these “old phones” are functional and in demand, so Sprint cleans, refurbishes and updates the software so they can be reused. This goes beyond a simple commitment to sustainability. It’s also good for business. This approach has helped Sprint avoid a billion dollars in cost, since the majority of these pre-owned, certified devices are redistributed through equipment warranty and insurance claims.

These phones are also increasingly valuable in the global market, so some of these phones, once tested and in working condition, are often sold outside the U.S. where there’s heavy demand for handsets at a reasonable cost. The remaining devices Sprint collects, approximately 10 percent that can’t be salvaged, go to recyclers with accredited third-party certification. These vendors dismantle equipment and accessories to recover materials like plastics and metals that can then be recycled as raw materials for a surprising number of goods – ranging from jewelry to patio furniture to car parts.

This kind of “cradle to cradle” practice is what has earned Sprint its leadership position. In September, Sprint was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for responsible electronic waste management and was the only wireless carrier to join the EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management Electronics Challenge – in which Sprint committed that 100 percent of the electronics refurbishers and recyclers it uses will be third-party certified and that it would increase the amount of used electronics collected.

But there’s still a way to go before Sprint can reach its ambitious goal of collecting nine devices for reuse and recycling for every 10 sold by 2017. Convincing customers to let go of their old phones is a long and tough road, since many consumers are emotionally attached to their old phones. Adib says Sprint – along with vendor, eRecyclingCorp, Sprint’s device trade-in vendor which provides instant in-store credit for retired devices, – are trying to get their customers to change their mindset about their old cell phones by thinking of them like an old car. “Most consumers trade-in their old car when they upgrade to a new one,” says Adib. “We want them to think about their cell phone like that too.”

“When we start to change the way we look at consumption,” Adib says, “we change the way we think about disposal – or how we discard a product once we’re done with it. We see possibilities for breathing new life into many of the products we offer. In the end, it’s a win-win for our customers, our business and the environment.”

To learn more about how Sprint gives phones “a second life” watch their latest video. We would like to thank the Corporate Communications team at Sprint for their help with this article. We are always looking to speak with leaders in the sustainability field.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.